Not giving up the hopes

As here in Finland Spring is considered over, at least if we're asking the calendar, the weather isn't really warming up. We certainly shouldn't be surprised about it, as I can count a few years when we kept the summer clothes mothballed until further notice. Yet, this year, also the weather forecast seems to add insult to injury, as they keep forecasting the arrival of the summer "within a couple of days."

Now, if this couple of days were indeed days and not months, I wouldn't mind.

Nevertheless, having been blessed with a very mild winter, when it didn't snow at all, the plants in my garden didn't suffer at all, and after a slow start, all the flowers are blooming once again. Due to social distancing, we won't have any garden party. Regardless of this detail, I am still glancing at my yard, wondering whether there is anything I can improve. Until last year, weed was my problem, until I saw how some bugs seem to appreciate their presence. Therefore, this year, instead of eliminating it, I've considered blending it into the garden, planting other random flowers to match.

The result is that now I have many flowers in a meadow-like garden. Today, was also one of those days when the only inspiration was to take my camera and go out, and so I have some pictures to show you.

I could get the shot of a duck's specie which is classified as endangered. It was a pleasure to see a male chasing one female on the riverbank.

On my wanderings, I couldn't take my eyes off this beautiful tree:

And on the way home, I had to stop to listen to a charming singer giving all his best to that special song:

Before entering a magical place where to lose myself:

I hope you all had a relaxing weekend and will be ready to start once again the rat-race tomorrow. Take care, and stay safe.

I had to take a holiday

Sometimes it happens that we realize we need a small break from everything to focus on other matters.
That's what happened last week when I skipped blogging.
Today, I bring you some news about the next release.
I'm not yet ready to publish it, and this time, I'm thinking to put it in pre-order.
This will help me gather more reviews, and give time to beta readers to return their feedback.
Here are some details about my work in progress (WIP), starting with the title:
The man from the mist.

It will be a crime/psychological thriller about a man who lives his life in almost complete anonymity. Ignored by everyone either at work and on the flat house where he lives, he lives his life following a comfortable routine.

Everything will change when a girl moves in the apartment next door, and a series of murders perpetrated by a mysterious 'avenger' shake the local criminal community.

I came up with this idea starting from the consideration that a killer is usually the least suspected person. But then when the least suspected person is innocent, despite being on the top of the suspect list, his life can turn upside-down.

So what you can expect from this new story?
First of all, my highly introspective characters, fast-paced suspense, and once again a glimpse of the life of people living in poor areas of the city. You will find action, love, and a lot of twists to keep you guessing until the end.

Next week I will be ready to reveal my new cover. This time, it was easier to create it, then respect the previous one, as I had already a clear idea of what I was looking for.

On a personal note, since the weather is getting be warm and pleasant, I started the planting season in the greenhouse. Therefore, I have more tomato plants, cucumber, herbs, beans, and peas.
During the winter, I cultivated indoor kale, tomatoes, and chilies. They did great, so I will expand my winter garden also to more diverse greens, who knows?

It also arrived the time to take care of the garden, take care of the flowers, and planning an upgrade of the outer fence.
This lockdown has its advantages, for those who look for them.

For this week, it's all,

Have a great weekend!

Spring is here despite everything

Something you can count on is that Nature is not going to follow any quarantine. Spring is coming, and with it, everything is waking up to a new cycle of life.
This is a sort of consolation, and although, it would be better to be quarantined in winter, the explosion of colors offered in this period gives an extra motivation to keep going.
During this long weekend, which included the missing celebration for the first of May, I had the chance to retreat to the forest, and take some pictures.
I thought to share what I've found in nature with you, hoping this will cheer up you all.
This lockdown seems to last forever, and in effect, the only reasonable way to end it would be having a vaccine and a cure for COVID-19.
Meantime, I know someone who has been extremely annoyed with having us for a longer time at home, and that is Carolina.

Despite the low resolution, it was obvious I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, at least considering the threatening stare she gave me.

This was one of the reasons why I took my camera and decided it was safer to be away and leave her spaces too.

The weather was strangely fair, and the healing power of nature did the trick on my restless soul. It didn't just give me peace, but also inspiration and entertainment.

The first person I met was an interesting guy. He was looking for food, and if I'm heading to a particular spot, I know that on my way I will meet him or someone who won't miss the occasion for a snack. Therefore, I had some nuts with me.

The wood is a place where to find hidden gems, like a sun, shining in the darkness:

And as the sky was so perfectly clear, the new leaves peeked out to test the weather.

Losing myself in this beauty, I completely neglected my garden, to which I hope to give the right attention starting from the next week.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this small spring show, and I wish you a great beginning of the month.

Take care and stay at home.

A yearly attraction: the Rhododendron Park in Helsinki

There are attractions that are mainly for tourists and others that give enjoyment to everybody. One of these is the National Rhododendron Park in Helsinki. Every year at the beginning of June, the park offers, to the eyes of the beholder an explosion of colors and scents.
And every year, people are gathering in the Park to enjoy the full flowering of the rhododendron.
In the beginning, the first rhododendron was planted there in 1975, where the city of Helsinki, together with the University of Helsinki started a project for the Helsinki’s plant breeding program. At the same time, were planned and constructed paths along the area.
There, 3000 rhododendrons were planted for research purposes, in order to create a variety that could stand the Finnish climate and produce flowers in different colors.
Rhododendron Park is the only park in Helsinki where special uplifted view platforms were built. Those platforms give the possibility to admire from a better vantage point the beauty of the blooming.
In 1996, the park was extended adding a section where Azaleas were planted, which were the result of another breeding program started in 1986. The park offers a view of many crossbreeding species.
When I arrived in Finland, in 2004, the section was quite small, if we compare it with the extension, it has reached in the late years.

Nevertheless, I considered it large enough to keep me there for most of the summer days. I was lucky enough to live just close by so that my daily strolls would have brought me right there most of the times.
As the years passed by, I have seen the park growing slowly but steadily, until the extent it has reached nowadays. I have no idea whether there are any plans to enlarge it, but since the crossbreeding project gave spectacular results, at least from the beholder’s point of view, I hope more species and colors will be added to the Park.

Personally, I hope there will be added new parts to the park as I believe you never have too much beauty, particularly when we talk about colors and flowers. Then let’s not forget the contribution those flowers give to the pollinator’s colonies.
It is an oasis of peace, where to get connected with nature and, having at hand your mosquito repellent, that is the ideal place to stop by with a book and enjoy your time.
So here is to you another reason to visit Finland, and preferably in early Summer. One suggestion, for those who intend visiting this fantastic country, is to get at least two or three weeks time in June between 1-23.6 because there are a lot of things to be seen.
This is the period with the longest day of the year, and if you push yourself to the north, you will experience the 24h sunlight.
Here in Helsinki, the length of the day during this period is of about 18-20 hours, but the nights are mostly looking like dusk, and not particularly dark.
For the longest day of the year hosting the midsummer fest (Juhannus) you definitely want to participate in the celebrations around the country. Then, of course, the Rhododendron Park, where to chill out and relax, before heading to all the music happenings around the country.

And that will be all for the moment, I wish you a great time and an awesome weekend!